Bridge-gate.



No. 696,589. Patented Apr. 1, I902.

F. I. PLECK.

BRIDGE GATE.

7 (Application filed Sept. 30, 1901.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

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BRIDGE GATE. (Application filed sew. so, 1901.

2 Sheets8heei 2.

(No Model.)

\N QR \8 an, a c Q NQW o w Wiigzssas NITED States T FRANK I. PLECK, OFSTURGEON BAY, WISCONSIN.

BRIDGE-GATE.

EZPECIFIOATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 696,589, dated April1, 1902. Application filed September 80, 1901. Serial No. 77,110. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK I. PLECK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Sturgeon Bay, in the county of Door and State of Wisconsin,have invented a new and useful Bridge-Gate, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in bridge gates of thatclass designed to be automatically opened and closed bythe draw; and theprincipal object of the invention is to provide improved mechanism foreffooting this operation, as more fully described hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of thebridge structure, illustrating the application of my improved gate andthe mechanism for operating the same. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view ofa portion of the same. Figs. 3, l, ,and 5 are views of details ofconstruction.

Referring to the drawings, 5 represents a portion of a gate structurehaving as two of its elements vertically-disposed beams 6, arranged ateither side of the roadway and adapted to guide and support a suitablegate or barrier 7 Mounted in suitable bearings at the upper portion ofthe beams or columns 6 are shafts 8, carrying suitable sheaves 9, overwhich pass cords or chainslO and 11, the former being secured to theupper portion of one side of the gate 7 and the cord or chain 11extending to the opposite side of said gate. The two cords or chains areconnectedat 11 to a link belt 12, passing over a guiding-wheel 13 to anoperating sprocketgear 14.. The extreme end of the chain is providedwith a counterbalance-weight 15,which weighs somewhat less than thegate, so that the latter if left free will slowly descend from theelevated position to the roadway.

The gate is normally held in the elevated position while the draw isclosed by a spring catch 16, carried by one of the columns (5 andconnected through a bell-crank lever 17 and a cord or wire 18 to abell-crank lever 19, fulcrumedat 20 to a fixed pin or stud. The verticalarm of the bell-crank lever 19 projects upwardly into the path of twooperatingfingers 21, depending from the draw 22, and one of such fingersbeing placed at each side of the center of the draw, so that one orother will operatively engage with the bell-crank lever 19, no matterwhat the direction of opening of the draw may be. The result of thecontact between one of the fingers 21 and the vertical arm of thebell-crank 19 is to efiect a pull on the cord or wire 18 and theconsequent withdrawal of the catch 16 from ongagement with the gate orbarrier 7, the latter gradually sinking to the ground. A sudden droppingof the gate is prevented by making the counterbalance-weight 15 just atrifle less than the weight of the gate. The neces sary frictionalresistance to the turning of the sprocket-wheels and sheaves will thenpermit only a slow and very gradual movement of the gate. In some caseswhere a quick descent of the gate is necessary the counterbalance may belightened to any desired extent.

The sprocket-wheel 14 is rigidly secured to a shaft 22, and on saidshaft is loosely mounted a pinion 23, connected by ratchet-gearing 24:to said shaft, so that in one direction of movement the pinion will turnthe shaft and in moving in opposite direction will rotate freely on saidshaft.

The shaft 22 is arranged centrally of a suitable frame 25, arranged atthe end of the bridge in proximity to the draw-section, and in saidframe are mounted two rack-bars 26, said bars being guided by andmovable independent of the frame and adapted for contact with the pinion23. Each of the rack-bars is connected by a chain or pulley 27 to asuitable counterbalance-weight 28, which acts to return the bar to whichit is attached to an initial position after each operation. Eachrack-bar isprovided with a hook29,fulcru med on a stud 30 and normallykept in an enga ing position by a spring 31, any suitable form ofstop-pin or other device being employed to prevent excessive movement,and at the head of each hook is an antifriction-roller 32., which isadapted to be engaged by an antifrictionroller 33, carried by the frame25, the engagement of the two rollers acting to force the hook 29 to aninoperative position.

On the draw are two pins 35, arranged in different vertical planes andon either side of l the longitudinalcenter of the draw, one pin beingadapted for engagement with each hook and such operative engagementtaking place as the draw is closing and at a very short time before thefully closed position is reached. The operation of this portion of themechanism will be readily understood. As the draw approaches the closedposition one of the pins 35, engaging a book 29, causes a movement ofone of the rack-bars 26 toward the center of the roadway. The rack-barengages the pinion 23 and causes a movement of the ratchet-wheel 14,drawing down the link belt 12 and raising the gate 7 to the positionshown in Fig. 1. When the gate has reached the full-up position, thecatch 16 automatically engages and holds the same in position until thedraw is again opened. Just at the time the closed position of the drawisreached the, antifriction-roller 23 of the hook 29 is engaged by thefixed antifriction-roller 33,'and said hook is moved from engagementwith the pin 35, the latter passing a short distance beyond the hook, sothat therewill be no danger of its engaging the same if the draw isopened in the same direction. When the hook 29 is disengaged, therack-bar 26 is returned to its initial position by thecounterbalance-weight 28 in readinessfor the next operation. When theparts are disposed as shown in Fig. 2, the hook is about disengagingfrom the pin 35, and when this occurs the rack-bar 26 moves said hook toits initial position, and both the rear faces of the hook and pin arerounded, so thatif the drawis open in such manner as to cause therear'face of the pin to make contact with the. rounded face of the hookthe latter will swing on its pivot-pin 30 andpermit the passage of thepin 35. The pin 35 might also have pivotal movement, so as to yield inone direction only, as will be readily understood.

The rack-bars 26 are guided on a suitable antifriction-roller 37 in theframe 25, and such bars may be of any required length necessary to raisethe gate to any-desired position from the roadway.

While the construction herein described,

and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, is the preferred form, itis obvious that many changes in the form, proportions, and minor detailsof construction may be made without departing fromthe spirit orsacrificing any of the advantages of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim isl. The combinationwith a partly-counter balanced gate, of a catch for norm allyholdin gthe same in anelevated position, and mechanism adapted to be operated bythe opening of the draw to move said catch to releasing position.

2. The combination with a gate and means for elevating the same, of acatch for holding said gate normally in elevated position, operating-fingers carried by the draw and mechanism for connecting saidfingers to the holding-catch to effect the release of the gate upon themovement of the draw in either direction and permit the gate to descendby gravity to the surface of the bridge.

3. The combination with a gate and means for holding the same in anelevated position, of a bell-crank lever having one arm oppositelyconnected to said holding means, and operating-fingers carried by thedraw and adapted to engage the opposite arm of said bell-crank lever.

4. The combination with a gate, of a shaft, a sprocket-wheel thereon, alink belt connected to said sprocket-wheel and having its upper endconnected to the gate, counterbalanceweight arranged at the lower end ofsaid link belt, a pinion, ratchet mechanism connecting the same to theshaft, and racks adapted to be operated by the draw for engagement withsaid pinion.

5. The combination with the gate, .of-a'shaft, a sprocket-gear thereon,a link belt passing over said sprocket-wheel and connected at one end tothe gate, a pinion, ratchet mechanism connecting the same to the shaft,.oppositely-disposed loose rack-bars for engagement with said pinion,mechanism carried by the draw for engaging with and moving saidrack-bars, and means foreffecting the disengagement of such mechanism,substantially as specified.

6. The combination with the gate, of a shaft, a sprocket-gear thereon,alink belt passing over the sprocket-wheelandconnected at one end to thegate, a pinion, ratchet mechanism connecting the same to said shaft,loose rackbars for engagement with said pinion, pivoted hooks carried bysaid rack-bars and pins carried by the draw for engagement with saidhooks, substantially as specified.

7. The combination of the gate, a shaft, a sprocketgear thereon, a linkbelt passing over said sprocket-wheel, cords or chains connecting theupper end of the linkbelt to the opposite ends of the gate, acounterbalance weight connected to the lower end of said link belt, apinion,.ratchet mechanism connecting the same to the shaft,looseracksarranged on each side of and adapted to engage said pinion, meansfor supporting and guiding said rack a counterbalance weight connectedto each rack for returning the same to initial position, a hook carriedby each rack,.pins projecting from the draw for engagement with saidhooks, and. means for efiecting the disengagement of said pins andhooks, substantially as specified.

8. The combination ofthe gate 7 means for guiding the same, a link belt12, cords or chains 10' connecting said linkbelt to the op posite endsof the gate, a sprocket-Wheel 14 for driving said link belt, acounterbalance weight 15 carried at the lower end of the link belt, ashaft 22 on which said sprocket-gear is secured, a pinion 23, a ratchetmechanism 24 connecting the same to said shaft, a fixed frame 25, looseracks 26 guided in said frame and adapted to engage the pinion, counter-IIC) balance-Weights 28 for said racks, hooks 29 carried by said rack,pins 35 cari'ied by the draw for engagement with said hooks,antifriction-rollers 23 for effecting the disengaging of the hooks fromthe pin, aspring-catch 16 normally acting to maintain the gate in anelevated position, a be1l-crank lever 19 having one arm connecting tosaid catch, the

fingers 21 carried by the draw and adapted to engage with the oppositearm of said bell- 1o crank-lever; substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have heretoafliXedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

FRANK I. PLEGIL Witnesses:

EDITH NELSON, THos. W. MOOULLOUGH.

